PACKING PARTY: Care Packages For Military

PACKING PARTY: Care Packages For Military

Mother Brenda Freeman worries about her oldest son Jacob… a lot. Jacob says, “She worries because she cares, but it does get annoying at times.”

When Jacob was little he called her the God of no fun. Freeman says, “I stopped the car and reminded him that I was a girl therefore I was a goddess and he was going to refer to me as such whenever he wanted to insult me.”

But now that he’s older and on his own, she has even more things to worry about. Freeman says, “It’s heartache and a longing when your child’s gone that other mothers may not completely understand.”

Soon Jacob will be sent out to Japan to serve in the Navy. Freeman says, “You it’s hard to watch your child go that far away, but I’m so proud of what he’s done.”

Today she sends boxes of toiletries, treats, and trinkets to Jacob’s fellow soldiers for one reason. Freeman says, “Because they’re somebody’s son or daughter.”

The boxes are packed with tons of treats, but volunteers say it’s the message the box brings that matters most. Freeman says, “It lets them know that we care about what they’re doing and we appreciate what they are doing and we have a lot of love and appreciation for what they have sacrificed.”

None of the boxes she’s packing today will go to the soldier she worries most about, but it comforts her nonetheless. Jacob says, “Definitely I think it’s one of those it gets her mind off it sort of thing.”

The gift of giving comes full-circle for this family. But nothing will ever totally end the worries of a loving parent, or the eye rolls from her son the sailor.